Rise To The Top

While everyone talks of Chelsea's alarming demise, Manchester United's lack of scoring, Man City's lack of consistency and Arsenal's unpredictability, Leicester City are taking the Premier League by storm and twelve months on from being at the foot of the table heading for Christmas they now find themselves top of the pile and likely to be there this Christmas.

Leicester were widely tipped to be relegated after the somewhat surprise sacking of Nigel Pearson after he too over achieved and kept them in the Premier League last season despite an awful run of results which saw them bottom for large periods of the season. Claudio Ranieri has not changed much within the squad, the core of the group remains the one that Pearson had built.  While Pearson deservedly so gets some of the credit for where they are now, Ranieri too has used his vast experience to install  a belief within his squad to succeed.

Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez are taking all the headlines for their goals and assists and while their achievement cannot be ignored other players in the squad have shown they too have the quality to play in the Premier League when doubts were raised at the start of the season.  Players like Danny Drinkwater, Andy King, Wes Morgan and Kasper Schmeichel have all played there part in what is a wonderfully united team at Leicester.

It would be brilliant for the league if Leicester could win it.  The Premier League has always been competitive and has had a reputation for unpredictability where anybody can beat anybody.  New managers to the league like Jurgen Klopp and Slaven Bilic are finding this out.  It would be a great boost for the Premier League should Leicester get their name along those of Manchester United, Arsenal, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea and Manchester City in winning the league.  The league has for too long been dominated by the usual four and perhaps this year the so called big boys will get a wake up call that they have been needing for a while. Teams like Chelsea and Man City win the league and fail to push on the next season, teams like Everton, Liverpool and Spurs are always in and around the top six.  This too would give them the wake up call they need.

Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez have been linked to Manchester United and Chelsea amongest others and if Leicester were to win the league they would be in league winners heading to the Champions League, Leicester could push on and invest, something Blackburn failed to do in 1995.  Maybe Leicester wouldn't have to sell their top players and maybe they would see no reason to leave.


The league has many clubs with large fan bases, clubs like Aston Villa, Newcastle United and West Ham United  have been merely just existing in the Premier League. Championship clubs like Leeds United and Nottingham Forest too given their history should be more competitive and should have more ambition on the field and off.  Leicester City could be a springboard for other teams to try and achieve the impossible or even break up the top four.  Manchester United have missed out on the top four previously and it looks as though Chelsea will this season.

Leicester City still have a long way to go to become Champions but if they managed to pull it off it would provide a refreshing boost for the league and give these other teams the ambition that with the right mix on and off the field then there is no reason why the top four is a formality each season and they do can upgrade their goals and ambitions.  Some will say that it will only highlight the poor quality of the league but the table doesn't lie.  English teams have failed badly in Europe in recent seasons and maybe this years  league is a true reflection of why.

So before we start dreaming of Leicester City v Barcelona in the Champions League next season, they have a long road to go, but after many predicted they would have slid down the table by now they show no signs of stopping their quest for the ultimate prize in English football, and good luck to them!